Centrul Isteric (FR: Centre Hystérique; EN: Hysterical Center) is the brainchild of Romanian A/V artist Gili Mocanu, better known for his abstract electronics project, Somnoroase Păsărele, which saw over a dozen recordings released on Baba Vanga (CZ), Anti-Everything (US), Czaszka (UK), OBS (RU), OTA and URUBU (PT). His style is distinctive, utilizing atypical synth sounds and asymmetrical or non-rhythmic elements, with several successful incursions into minimalist ambient/drone as well.

When not orchestrating his own samples as Somnoroase Păsărele, Gili has initially (circa 2009-10) used Centrul Isteric as a side-project for messing around with rhythmic loops extracted from popular music – sometimes matching the BPM while other times not. Over time, the experiment has evolved into long-form spectral explorations (2010-16), and has recently settled into a 3rd approach to “organized hysteria”, as illustrated by KISI. On this 36-minute piece, which utilizes source materials provided by his SP companion, Miru Mercury, only the 3 or 4 opening seconds of each soundpiece are sampled and looped, in such ways that would allow for maximum dramatic effect with each subsequent maneuver. KISI thus marks a shift from previous formless ‘agglutination’ to more considered ‘superordination’ in time and space.

released June 7, 2020

Recorded/edited/mastered by Gili Mocanu, Feb 2020
Artwork by Gili Mocanu / Simina Oprescu
Text & project management by Miru Mercury